Hotline update: The plan for the next few weeks (and beyond)

Returned Sunday night from a week-long, east coast vacation – it would have been Sunday afternoon if not for a construction-related runway closure at SFO … anyone else encountered that problem? — and I’m planning to get the Hotline ramped back up Tuesday morning.

To be addressed in the next few weeks:

* Projections for Pac-12 basketball in 2013-14, including order of finish and all-league teams, now that draft decisions are bringing rosters into focus.

Arizona is the clear favorite (and would have been without Aaron Gordon’s commitment). Beyond the top spot, the league looks to be intriguingly muddled.

* My early top-25 basketball projections for next season. The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw is Tuesday, April 16, except that it’s also Monday, April 28.

(The NCAA and NBA once again have different deadlines, with the college game adopting an earlier date to satisfy coaches who want their rosters fixed before the April signing period. Here is a detailed look at the confusing situation.

(Bottom line: we’ll have most of our information available Tuesday, with the potential for things to change again in two weeks.)

* NFL Draft news, notes and projections for Bay Area and Pac-12 prospects, with a post-draft, wing-and-a-prayer look at the top talents for ’14.

* Pac-12 football spring practice and review, plus an update of my projections for the ’13 season, an assessment of each team’s quarterback comfort level, non-conference schedules, training camp to-do lists and more.

* Any and all Pac-12 Networks developments, potentially including distribution news and definitely including programming changes in the works.

* The latest on Pac-12 RefGate (independent review findings) and whatever football playoff details emerge from the commissioners’ meetings next week.

*** A final note: With San Jose State’s move to the Mountain West coming in July, Hotline readers can expect to see an increase in coverage of the MWC over the next few months — and especially when football arrives.

Chip Kelly, how did we know you’d decide to move on at this time? ha ha you and me buddy, just one step ahead of the law. High five!

fiveseven

Nice to see that the college hotline didn’t forget the San Jose State program while covering college sports for the San Jose Mercury News… (sigh)…

Durkin needs access to this blog now!

Spartan Pubber

Jon: A final note from me. There is really only one thing for you to mull over this summer. What bowl game will San Jose State being invited to at the conclusion of the 2013 season? Will it be the Maaco Bowl in Las Vegas as the MWC champions; or will it be one of the BCS bowls as MWC champs? It’s as simple as that.

It is way too early to predict scores of specific football games for next season, but hey !…there’s nothin else goin on and my stoic Spartan cousins deserve a peek into the future of what’s in store for them this coming September 7th, so…:

Utah St (minus Gary Anderson) goes intra-state to Ute-land – revenge, a powerful football motivator, will be in the back of the minds of Whittingham’s men. And Kyle has made an astute hire of 3-time PAC Head Coach, Dennis Erickson, to help mentor his offense that has struggled against the PAC…

Rutgers spends a couple scarlet nights in Fresno and they won’t be pickin’ almonds or grapes – it should be a tough dog fight for both teams…

And our beloved Spartans have chosen to start off 2013′s menu with what ? That’s right, with dessert, playing hostess to a hostess twinkie – the horny Sac State Hornets… No wonder there’s a honey bee crisis (which will lead to an impending food crisis) all across this continent ! But the question on everyone’s mind that day is — will the stoic men of Sparta show any emotional involvement, especially with the dreaded Robber Barons on tap ?…

Forsooth, i forsee, that opening day for the MWC will not be very festive… It is likely only the impassive unstung heroes of Sparta will prevail. And you can bet your bottom cupcake, the barons of the bay, with a bye that day, will be quite attentive, wouldn’t you say ?

Last year, not so much, after they jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead, and without their emotional leader Shayne “diskovery” Skov on hand, they grew slack, letting Jose back in the game in the 3rd qtr, before shutting ‘em down again in the 4th. The railroad moguls were heavy -26.5 pt favs in that contest, so it was a moral victory of sorts, for those Silly Cone Valley bois, losing only 17-20.

No such luck this year ! Skov is back ! Hog Heaven Hogan has prevailed and taken command under center ! The OL, with Peat, Yank, Flem, McFad, Garnett, Wilkes, Danser, and Murph, is phearsome ! and the whole D is 2-deep with major talent, and will not be trifled with again…

In Vegas, the Cardinal will be heavily favored : At least -14.5 to open, maybe more, closing around -17.

Meanwhile, Fales and his whole receiving corps (minus Otten of course) returns …but Eskridge is gone, Quissenberry is gone, Travis Johnson is gone, along with a couple DBs, and perhaps most importantly, M&M melted in the hands (or hooves) like the vanishing Buffalo…

Can Carragher pick up seamlessly where M&Ms left off ? — It’s not easy to do and not done that often… Plus, the Trees will log on and watch the pace of 8/28, attentively, with intent to deliver a sound beating this time around, reminiscent of ’11 and ’09…

Similar to last year, they jump out to a 20-3 half-time lead, but this time they don’t let up in the 3rd, and finish strong… Read it and weep with a silicon tear, cousin dear…